Starting-vaporizer for explosive-engines.



- PATENTED AUG. 30, 1904. w. w. TUGK, A. WASSMANN & A. A. LOW. STARTING VAPORIZER FOR EXPLOSIVE BNGINES.

APPLICATION rum) MAY 6; 1903.

N0 MODEL.

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UNITED STATES Patented August so, 1904.

PATENT OEEIoE.

WILLIAM W. TUCK, OF RICHMOND HILL, AUGUST VVASSMANN, OF HAL-.

LETTS POINT, AND ABBOT AUGUSTUS LOW, OF HORSESHOE, NEW

YORK, ASSIGNORS TO SAID 'LOVV.

STARTlNG-VAPORIZEH FOR EXPLOSlVE-ENGINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 768,641, dated August 30, 1904. Application filed May 6, 1903 Serial N0.155,825- (No model.)

To all whmn it may concern.-

Be it known that we, WILLIA W. TUoK, residing at Richmond Hill, AUGUST WAss- MANN, residing at Halletts Point, Astoria,

Queens county, and Armor AUGUSTUS Low,

residing at Horseshoe, St. Lawrence county, in the State of New York, citizens of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Starting-Vaporizers for Hydrocarbon-Engines, of which the following is a specification sufficient to enable others skilled in the art to which the invention appertains to make and use the same.

' Our invention relates to explosive-engines generally, and is designed to obviate the delay and inconvenience heretofore attendant upon the preliminary heating of the parts.

The distinguishing feature of our present invention consists in the employment of means whereby a preliminary charge of liquid hydrocarbon is vaporized and oxidized prior to its introduction into the combustionchamber, so that it may be readily and instantaneously ignited and exploded by an;

electric spark.

Incidentally our invention consists in using our improved startingdevice as a means of introducing the air-supply into the combustionchamber after the engine has been started, whereby the noise of induction is muffled and reduced to the minimum.

In the accompanying drawings we show parts essential in carrying out our invention practically in connection with an explosiveengine of any ordinary or well-known type, although we do not wish to confine ourselves to the identical arrangement and construction of parts shown, since it is obvious that vari ous expedients may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and intent of our invention.

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the upper portion of a cylinder and combustionchamber provided with our improved starting arrangement. Fig. 2 is a view, upon an enlarged scale, of a receptacle holding the supply of liquid hydrocarbon. detail view of the air-valve upon plane of Fig. 3 is a line 3 3, Fig. 1; Fig. 4, ardetail view of one of the vaporizing-diaphragms. Fig. 5 is a detail View of the air-valve.

A is the ordinary piston-cylinder, in which the piston P reciprocates.

O is the combustion-chamber, shown as formed with the cap at the upper end of the cylinder.

D is an ordinary sparking device or igniter, which may be placed by any other form of igniting device, if desired.

E is an ordinary form of injector or plug through which liquid hydrocarbon is forced .into the combustion-chamber after the preliminary heating and starting of the engine has been effected.

Our improved device, consists of a standpipe or chamber S, communicating with the interior of a cylinder A through the branch s, in which branch is interposed a puppetvalve 5 and seat 8 arranged to admit of the induction of air and vapor into the cylinder,

but to close by internal pressure. The lower branch S of the stand-pipe S is provided 1 with a series of diaphragms s and with a valve or damper s. The upper section S is provided with a series of diaphragms s ,(shown in detail in Fig. 4,) one portion of each diaphragm being made solid while the rest is perforated or formed with a sieve s.

H is a holder or receptacle for a liquid hydrocarbon provided with a needle-point valve h, engaging with a seat It, so that the dripping of the liquid hydrocarbon into the upper section S of the stand-pipe S may be regulated with accuracy. The base 57 of the holder H is formed with perforations it and is provided with a disk valve 6, formed with apertures I), which may be brought into coincidence with the said perforations it in the base.

The disks .9 are more or less inclined with relation to each other and are arranged to break joints, so that the part of one disk formed with the interstices s will overlap the solid portion of the next disk below.

The operation is as follows: When it is desired to start the engine, the needle-valve It is raised sufficiently to allow the desired quantity of volatilehydrocarbon liquid to drop into the stand-pipe S, when the engine is turned one or two revolutions by hand in the usual way, thereby creating a partial vacuum within the cylinder and combustion-chamber and causing the valve 5 to open. The valve or damper s" being closed, an induced current of air will be created through the perforations it" (the disk 6 having been set for the purpose) and will be drawn down through the disks 8", mingling with and vaporizing with the liquid hydrocarbon, at the same time oxidizing the same, so that when the mingled charge of air and vapor is brought into contact with the igniter D it is instantly exploded and drives the piston outward. The vaporizing and oxidizing of the liquid hydrocarbon from the holder H is aided materially by the presence of the disks 8'' which insures a circuitous passage and the intimate contact of the air and liquid hydrocarbon. The engine is thus run by an auxiliary supply of oxidized hydrocarbon from the holder H until the combustionchamber becomes sufficiently heated to vaporize liquid hydrocarbon introduced through the injector E, when the valve [L may be closed and the engine operated in the ordinary manner, the valve 5 being opened and the holder and its base if being removed from the upper end of the stand-pipe, so that air may be admitted more freely to the cylinder, the presence, however, of the diaphragms s and s tending to muffle the sound caused by the air.

By our improvement it is possible to instantly start the explosive-engine in a practical sense, as we have found by actual test and experiment, one revolution of the engine being sufficient to draw in a charge and effect an explosion, after which the operation is con tinuous and automatic, so that the engine may be said to all intents and purposes to start immediately, thus avoiding the annoyance and delay of effecting a preliminary heating of the combustion chamber before an explosion could be obtained.

Our means of preliminary starting being independent of any connection with or relation to the firing-plug D may be resorted to even when the latter is wet. Heretofore it has been necessary frequently to withdraw, dry, heat, and reinsert the plug in order to render the engine operative.

What we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with an explosive-cugine, of means for introducing vaporized hydrocarbon admixed with air into the combustion-chamber, the same including a vaporizing-chamber outside the combustion-chamber and connected therewith, a mufiler in said vaporizing-chamber above and below its connection with the combustion-chamber, a damper between the lower muffler and said connection, and a holder for the hydrocarbon mounted on the upper end of the vaporizing-chamber.

2. The combination with the cylinder A, piston P, combustion-chamber C, injector E for the normal supply of fuel, the igniter D, the holder for volatile liquid hydrocarbon, the stand-pipe S connected with the cylinder by the branch 8, having the inlet-valve s interposed therein, said stand-pipe being formed with the lower branch S provided with a valve 8*, and perforated diaphragms s and with an upper section S formed with a series of partially-perforated disks .9, for the purpose set forth.

WILLIAM W. TUCK. AUGUST VVASSMANN. ABBOT AUGUSTUS LOW. Witnesses:

D. WV. GARDNER, FRANK E. RoAon. 

